A ferry with around 400 passengers on board connecting the eastern island of Ulleung and the easternmost islets of Dokdo returned to its port of origin due to an engine malfunction, the Coast Guard said Friday.

The ferry Dolphin, which departed Ulleung Island at 2:40 p.m., sailed for two hours towards Dokdo when one of its two engines suddenly failed, the Donghae Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said there were 390 passengers and six crew on the 310-ton ship, slightly fewer than the ship's capacity of 398.

The ferry was set to arrive at Ulleung Island at around 8:00 p.m.

Two 1,000-ton patrol ships are currently guiding the ferry, which is currently sailing with only one engine, the Coast Guard said, adding that it plans to investigate the details of the malfunction upon arrival. (Yonhap)